The duration of tinnitus in an aging population

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to determine whether the perceived severity of chronic tinnitus in a geriatric population increased, decreased, or remained constant with the passage of time. A questionnaire was designed to ascertain the subjects' perceived severity at time of onset and the perceived severity of their current tinnitus. The subjects were asked to rate their past and present tinnitus severity according to how much it bothered them. They were also asked questions pertaining to noise exposure history, hearing aid use, and tinnitus sound parameters for purposes of comparison with other groups previously studied.Seventy-eight hearing-impaired adults with current tinnitus symptoms participated in the study. The subjects ranged in age from 65 to 83 years, with a mean age of 69.3 years. Thirty-two of the subjects (41%) were current users of amplification. Previous excessive noise exposure was cited by 65 subjects (83%). Noise exposure duration for these subjects ranged from two to forty-five years, with Results of this study indicated a decrease in perceived severity of mild tinnitus from time of onset to the present condition. Seventy-nine of the subjects reported that their present mild tinnitus was not as annoying, compared with perceived severity at time of onset. Current mild tinnitus symptoms were not a problem for 90% of the subjects. Ten subjects (11%) who reported no current symptoms were not included in the balance of the study.

Real Exchange Rate Volatility and the Price of Nontradable Goods in Economies Prone to Sudden Stops

“…A very similar picture emerges for Engel's sample and for the post-1994 floating period. 26 The one notable difference is that frequencies higher than one month display marked negative correlations between x and pn US and between pn MX and pn US . These correlations could, in principle, add to the contribution of domestic relative price variations in explaining the variance of rer.…”